Tenses Tests You Should Take to Test Yourself!

Tenses are words which inform one about the verb depending upon when will an action or event take place. They are an important part of the English vocabulary with them being used in every sentence. We all have been studying about it since our school days. However, with time, we often forget how it’s used and the correct usage of it. As a grammar nazi, you must know what are tenses and how they should be used in sentences. Continue reading this blog which will help you brush up on all your basics by providing you with tenses tests. 

Must Read: All You Need To Know About Tenses

What Are Tenses?

A tense is a form of a verb which is used in English grammar to express time. This tense of the verb informs us when a particular action or event took place. There are three types of tenses, present tense, past tense and future tense. However, these can be further expanded into Simple Present Tense · Present Continuous Tense · Present Perfect Tense · Present Perfect Continuous Tense etc. Let’s understand the three types of tenses in detail. 

Types of Tenses in English Grammar?

As discussed above, tenses are of three types. Let’s learn about each one of them in detail. 

Present Tense

Present tense is a grammatical tense whose main function is to locate a situation or event in the present tense. It is used to denote all the actions that are taking place currently. It is for all the activities that are done daily. 

Example:

• He walks to school every day.
• She reads a book before going to bed.

Also Read: Present Tense: Meaning, Types, Structure, and Examples [Complete Guide]

Past Tense

This is also a grammatical tense whose function is to place an action in the past. They indicate an activity which took place in the past. 

Example:

• He cooked dinner for his family last weekend.
• I finished reading that book yesterday.

Also Read: Past Tense: Meaning, Types, Structure and Examples [Complete Guide]

Future Tense

This is a tense that is used to express an action that has not yet happened or does not exist. The future tense is usually used at the end of the sentence. 

Example:

• Tomorrow, she will embark on a journey to explore distant galaxies.
• Next month, I will have completed my novel and submitted it for publication.

Also Read: Future Tense: Meaning, Types, Structure, Examples & Exercise [With Answers]

Why Tenses Are Important to Learn?

Tenses are a fundamental part of the English language. There are many reasons why learning tenses is important, here are some of them:

1. Tenses are used to describe things that take place at different times — past, present and future.
2. They are also used to convey complex sentences and ideas.
3. Lastly, it helps to be clear in your communication. 

To speak fluently in English, it is important to learn tenses in detail. 

Now that you have a basic understanding of what are tenses, here are some quizzes which will help you test your knowledge.  

Tenses Test 1

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense from the given questions.

1. By the time I got to the party, everyone __________ (leave).

a) leave

b) leaves

c) left

d) leaving

2. The train __________ (arrive) at 9:00 PM yesterday.

a) arrive

b) arrives

c) arrived

d) arriving

3. She __________ (teach) English before she moved to France.

a) teach

b) teaches

c) taught

d) teaching

4. We __________ (not see) each other since high school.

a) not see

b) not sees

c) not saw

d) not seen

5. By next year, they __________ (live) in that house for ten years.

a) live

b) lives

c) lived

d) living

6. They __________ (watch) a movie when the power went out.

a) watch

b) watches

c) watched

d) watching

7. He __________ (work) as a doctor since he graduated from medical school.

a) work

b) works

c) worked

d) working

8. By the time we get there, they __________ (finish) dinner.

a) finish

b) finishes

c) finished

d) finishing

9. She __________ (study) French for two years.

a) study

b) studies

c) studied

d) studying

10. I __________ (go) to the gym every morning.

a) go

b) goes

c) going

d) went

Check Your Answers!

1. go
2. studied
3. finished
4. works
5. watched
6. living
7. not seen
8. arrived
9. taught
10. Left

Also Read: Future Unreal Conditional Examples: All Forms & Exercise [PDF Available]

Tenses Test 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct tenses. 

1. She __________ (cook) dinner when the guests arrived.

a) cooked

b) cooks

c) cooking

d) cook

2. By the time he wakes up, the sun __________ (rise).

a) rise

b) rises

c) rose

d) rising

3. We __________ (visit) London last summer.

a) visit

b) visits

c) visited

d) visiting

4. He __________ (work) at this company for five years now.

a) work

b) works

c) worked

d) working

5. They __________ (watch) TV when the phone rang.

a) watch

b) watches

c) watched

d) watching

6. I __________ (study) English for two hours before I took the exam.

a) study

b) studies

c) studied

d) studying

7. She __________ (not finish) her homework yet.

a) not finish

b) not finishes

c) not finished

d) not finishing

8. The train __________ (leave) at 7 o’clock this morning.

a) leave

b) leaves

c) left

d) leaving

9. They __________ (play) football when it started raining.

a) play

b) plays

c) played

d) playing

10. By next year, they __________ (travel) to ten different countries.

a) travel

b) travels

c) traveled

d) traveling

Check Your Answers

1. cooked
2. rises
3. visited
4. works
5. watched
6. studied
7. not finished
8. leaves
9. played
10. Travelled

Also Read: Future Perfect Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Structure, Rules, Exercises [PDF Available] 

Tenses Test 3

1. By the time I arrived, they __________ (already / finish) dinner.

1.  already finished
2.  have already finished
3.  already finish
4.  finished already

2. She __________ (study) English for two hours every day.

1.  studies
2.  is studying
3.  studied
4.  has studied

3. He __________ (read) the book before he watched the movie adaptation.

1.  reads
2.  is reading
3.  has read
4.  read

4. We __________ (not / go) to the cinema last weekend.

1.  don’t go
2.  didn’t go
3.  haven’t gone
4.  weren’t going

5. They __________ (live) in this city since they were born.

1.  lived
2.  are living
3.  have lived
4.  living

6. The teacher __________ (explain) the lesson when the bell rang.

1.  explains
2.  is explaining
3.  explained
4.  has explained

7. I __________ (wait) for him for over an hour before he finally showed up.

1.  wait
2.  am waiting
3.  waited
4.  have waited

8. She __________ (not / see) that movie yet.

1.  doesn’t see
2.  didn’t see
3.  hasn’t seen
4.  isn’t seeing

9. By the time he gets back, we __________ (already / leave).

1.  already leave
2.  have already left
3.  already left
4.  have left already

10. We __________ (go) to the beach if the weather improves.

1.  go
2.  are going
3.  went
4.  will go

Answers

1. have already finished
2. has studied
3. has read
4. didn’t go
5. have lived
6. explained
7. waited
8. hasn’t seen
9. have already left
10. will go

Also Read: Simple Future Tense Examples: Definition, Structure, Rules, Exercises [PDF Available] 

Tenses Test 4

1. She __________ (read) a book when I called her.

a) read

b) is reading

c) was reading

d) reads

2. By next month, I __________ (complete) my project.

a) complete

b) will complete

c) completed

d) completes

3. They __________ (play) soccer every Saturday afternoon.

a) play

b) plays

c) played

d) are playing

4. She __________ (live) in Paris for three years before she moved to London.

a) lived

b) has lived

c) lives

d) was living

5. We __________ (watch) a movie tonight.

a) watch

b) watched

c) will watch

d) are watching

6. He __________ (study) for his exams all week.

a) studies

b) studied

c) has studied

d) is studying

7. The concert __________ (start) at 7:30 PM yesterday.

a) starts

b) started

c) is starting

d) has started

8. I __________ (not / finish) my homework yet.

a) not finished

b) haven’t finished

c) not finish

d) didn’t finish

9. They __________ (visit) their grandparents next weekend.

a) visit

b) visited

c) will visit

d) visiting

10. By the time they arrive, we __________ (already / leave).

a) already leave

b) have already left

c) already left

d) have left already

Answers

1. was reading
2. will complete
3. play
4. has lived
5. will watch
6. is studying
7. started
8. haven’t finished
9. will visit
10. have already left

Tenses Test (PDF)

Check Related Posts!

Simple Past Tense Examples: Definition, Structure	Past Perfect Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Structure
Past Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Structure	Future Perfect Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Structure
Future Continuous Tense Examples: Meaning, Rules	Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Rules

FAQs

What is a tense in English grammar?

A tense is a form of verb that allows you to express time. They are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, especially in their conjugation patterns. 

What are the types of tenses in English grammar?

Tenses used in English grammar are of three types: Past tense, Present tense and Future tense. 

What is the present tense?

Present tense is used in sentences to express an action that is habitually performed or is in a state that currently exists. 

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